We begin in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a dramatic court ruling has sent shockwaves through the nation’s political landscape. A high military court in Kinshasa has sentenced former President Joseph Kabila to death after convicting him of treason, war crimes, conspiracy, and organizing an insurrection alongside the M23 rebel movement.
The court accused Kabila of collaborating with Rwanda and the Rwanda-backed M23, which seized key cities in eastern Congo earlier this year. Prosecutors cited testimony from Eric Nkuba, the former chief of staff to rebel leader Corneille Nangaa, who claimed Kabila held regular phone conversations with Nangaa on how to topple President Félix Tshisekedi’s government.
Kabila, who has been tried in absentia since July, has not been seen publicly for months, last appearing in a rebel-controlled city. His current whereabouts remain unknown, raising questions over how the death sentence could ever be carried out.
In addition to the death penalty, the court ordered Kabila to pay $29 billion in damages to the Congolese state, along with $2 billion each to the conflict-ravaged provinces of North and South Kivu.
Kabila’s political party, the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy, has denounced the ruling as politically motivated. Party leader Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary described it as an attempt by what he called a “dictatorial regime” to eliminate a major political rival.
But others welcomed the decision. Richard Bondo, a lawyer representing North and South Kivu, praised the ruling as a victory for justice, saying it was rendered “in the name of the Congolese people.”
Joseph Kabila ruled Congo from 2001 to 2019, taking power after the assassination of his father, Laurent Kabila. His 18-year presidency was marked by years of conflict, controversial election delays, and accusations of corruption. He left office after his party’s candidate lost to Félix Tshisekedi in the 2018 elections.
Kabila had lived abroad in self-imposed exile but returned to Goma earlier this year, as fighting between the government and the M23 escalated. That conflict has already killed an estimated 3,000 people and displaced more than 7 million, worsening one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises.
Tonight, Joseph Kabila stands condemned by Congo’s military court, but his fate remains uncertain as long as his location is unknown.
Reporting by Ehud Jones
